Last night it was announced that Everett Golson left school over academic issues.
Notre Dame announced that the starting QB on their national runner-up team was getting kicked out of school. This big college football news was released very late on a Saturday night. On a holiday weekend. Right at the exact moment that the Chicago Blackhawks win a Stanley Cup playoff game. So this press release goes out at the absolute perfect moment for the national media being off the clock; and the local Chicago media being occupied with something else. Well played, Notre Dame SID. Well played.
So what will become of Everett Golson? Will he follow a similar path to Demetrius Jones? Remember Jones, a recruit who was blue-chip among blue-chippers. He also left Notre Dame under less than optimal circumstances.
Let’s see what he’s up to today.
Related: 8 Scandalous Moments of the Notre Dame Brian Kelly Regime
Evan Moore of Chicago Side did a great piece about Demetrius Jones:
Golson is the seventh African-American to start at quarterback for the Fighting Irish; Jones was the sixth, having made his debut in the first game of the 2007 season. Jones had size and speed and a rifle arm and, briefly, inspired great hope among Domers.
But his career proved short and anything but sweet. Now, at 25, he’s a volunteer football coach in Merrillville, Ind., and says he hopes to play in the upcoming season for the Chicago Slaughter of the Indoor Football League.
Jones lost his starting job to the emu resembling Jimmy Claussen.
Quoting Moore’s piece:
Jones transferred to Northern Illinois, and then again to Cincinnati where he played linebacker for the unbeaten 2009 football squad. “I switched positions to get on the field,” he said. After two seasons, he was dismissed from the team for academic reasons.
Jones was rated the fourth highest QB in the nation by Rivals upon graduating from high school. Gunner Kiel was rated the #1 QB in his class and he enrolled at Notre Dame; before also transferring to Cincinnati. Does Gunner Kiel have a similar fate to Jones in store? Or does Everett Golson have a future resembling Demetrius Jones. “Dismissed from the team for academic reasons.”
To quote Ty Webb in Caddyshack: “see your future, be your future.” Notre Dame QBs are known for off the field drama lately. The scripts for Friday Night Lights have nothing on recent ND signal callers.
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net. He’s also an author who also contributes regularly to MSN, Fox Sports , Chicago Now, Walter Football.com and Yardbarker
Banks has appeared on the History Channel, as well as Clear Channel, ESPN and CBS radio all over the world. President Barack Obama follows him on Twitter (@PaulMBanks), like him on Facebook